Police raid frees 14-year-old from prostitution ring’s grasp

A police operation against prostitution in the Villaverde suburb of Madrid resulted in seven arrests on Friday and smashed one of the capital’s most notorious rings, which calls itself the “black brigade.” Six of the detainees were immediately remanded in custody without bail.

The alleged mastermind of the ring and other family members controlled 12 women of Romanian origin, forcing them to earn between 150 and 180 euros per day and meting out physical retribution should they fail to do so.

Among the captive women forced to prostitute themselves by the gang was the 14-year-old daughter of the alleged mastermind of the operation, and her 16-year-old friend, who was reported missing by her family several days ago. Seven other people have been charged for their connections with the organization, which appears to have been trying to gain control of the prostitution trade in the area. José Nieto, chief inspector of the police’s Immigration and Forgery unit said that various organizations are vying to move into the space vacated by the gangsters “Pig Head” and the “Lord of the industrial estate,” both of whom were arrested and subsequently jailed in previous operations.

“The police will not rest until these types of crimes have been eradicated, especially when there are minors involved. These mafia methods must be stopped,” said Nieto.